Sony confirms PS4 Neo exists, costs more, and won’t be at E3

The PlayStation 4 Neo is confirmed, but don't expect to see it on-stage at Sony's E3 press conference next week. Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Andrew House gave Financial Times (paywall) the first official word of the upgraded system's existence, confirming that the "high-end PS4" will have improved support for 4K resolution displays and offer improved graphics.

Sony plans to sell the pricier system system alongside the standard $349/£299 console "through the life cycle" of PlayStation 4. It's meant as a complement rather than a replacement, and as such it will not receive any exclusive games.

“All games will support the standard PS4 and we anticipate all or a very large majority of games will also support the high-end PS4,” House said. Both versions will also be compatible with the PlayStation VR headset, which is planned for release in October.

House refused to comment on a potential price point or release date for the system, but he did confirm that it will be "standalone profitable at the time that we launch it" - meaning Sony will not sell the hardware at a loss, hoping to make back the difference through games and accessories. With the standard console covering the lower end of the market, I wouldn't be surprised if Neo went appreciably north of the original $399/£349 PS4 price point. But we'll have to wait longer than E3 next week to find out more (official) details.

"We want to ensure we have a full range of the best experiences on the new system that we can showcase in their entirety,” House said.